Fruit-grader.



No. 67|,646. Patented Apr. 9, lem.

- n. G. BAILEY.

FRUIT GRADI-2B.

tApplction fxled July 24, 1900.)

QN Model.)

NITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

RICHARD G. BAILEY, OF SAN MATEO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO GEORGE G. WICKSON, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

l `FRUIT-e RADER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 671,646, dated April 9, 190i.

Application ned July 24, 1to0.

To all whom, it may concern: l

Be it known that I, RICHARD G. BAILEY, a

citizen of the United States, residing atfSan Mateo, county of San Mateo, State of Califor- 5 nia, have invented an Improvement in Fruit- Graders; and I hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same. Y l

My invention relates to an apparatus which 1o is designed for the grading or assorting of fruits whichare approximately globular in shape, such as oranges and the like.

It consists of a horizontally-rotating disk or ring with the rim or rims beveled or sloping from the upper surface downward, 'said disk or ring being made to rotate in a perfect plane, traveling onrollers placed underneath or from a central spindle,V or both. L Surrounding these rotating beveled rims is' suspended zo a series of adjustable curved rollers so spaced in relation to the rotating beveled surface below them as to permit fruit `approximately globulai` in shape to roll olf in its proper place.

The disk or ring is moved by any suitable mechanical device, so as to cause the fruit to travel around a circle on a continuous inclined plane until it finds a space below the curved-roller grading-guides of sufficient size to allow it to pass out to suitable receptacles. 3o The curved-roller grading-guide consists of a sheet of metal or other substance bent to the proper curve and having slots to permit of adjusting its vertical position; also, having rigidly attached to its bottom edge a rod of 3 5` similar curve, upon which rod is loosely journaled a series of rings or washers of metal or other substance which revolve freely as the fruit passes in contact with them; in conjunction with these a table suitably construct- 4; ed for supporting and operating the rotating disk or ring and for holding in position the adj ustable curved-roller grading-guides; also, a feed-chute through which the fruitis delivered to the rotating disk or ring and means for catching the fruit as it drops from its proper opening.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,

Figure l is a plan view of my grader. Fig.` 2 is a vertical section of the same o n line a; :u of 5o Fig. l. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing a ro- `clined or beveled edges.

`nected. as to form vertical offsets between each plate serial No. 24,653. (No man.)

tating disk. Fig. 4 is a detail view of one of the guide-plates.4

The fruit is first placed in a feed-chute A, havinga bottom formed of longitudinal strips orgrate-bars and a sufficient inclination so that the fruitwill roll down over these bars. From the lower end of the chute the fruit is delivered upon a disk or ring 3, having in- If a disk with au exterior beveled edge is used, it is surrounded by an exterior-adjustable guide; but if a ring is used it has double inclines in the form of a circular roof-shaped bottom 3, the apex of which is approximately central between the outer and inner guides which form the channel, in the `lower part of which the ring is supported and turnable. The fruit received upon the ring or disk then lies upon the beveled surface or surfaces and against i theexterior guide or guides, and is thus advanced and rotated by th. revolution of the disk or ring,l as hereinafter described.

The disk or ring 3 is supported upon and guided by roller-bearings, as at 5, and it is revoluble by any suitable mechanism. Such mechanism I have here illustrated inthe form of a frictional roller `6, whichcontacts with the ring or with a rib 4t thereon, and which roller is turnable by a shaft, as at 7. The

` sides or guides against which the fruit rests are here shown in the form of sectional plates 8, which are slotted, as shown at 9, so that they may be adjusted vertically to project more orless below the supports 2, from which `they are hung, being held in place by thumbscrews or equivalent devices, as at `l0. It

` will also be manifest that the plates could be supported from vertical posts, to which the ends of the plates could be adj ustably con- These plates Sare preferably set so and the next one, so that the spaces from the point where the fruit enters the apparatus gradually increase around the circle, so that.

oranges or similar fruit rolling along on the beveled edges ofthe disk or ring will rest against the lower edges of the plate or a series of rollers to be Vhereinafter described, which extend along these edges and will be moved along in contact with these rollers unf IOO ' being carried forward by the moving bottom' o revolvesbackwardly and upwardly, andthe disks or, ringsare acted upon bythe: revolve-ovy ing fruit and caused to rotate upon'theirV sup-A porting-rods.

are freely turnable upon their rods and which form a continuous contact for` the sides of the fruit, which resting upon the inclined:y

bottom surfaces will also contact against these loose rings or disks. The movement of the bottom 3, which is caused to travel around in this circular channel, and thecon'- Atact of the fruit with these rings produces a revolving motion of the fruit,` which while This provides a contact-surface for the fruit which..k is freely movable,

and which revolving in the opposite direction or upwardly prevents `the fruit from being` 'pinched whenit arrives vat `spaceswhichare nearlylarge enough to vallow it to 'pass-,Land

itwill'thus beretained in the channel li'intih itarrives` at a spacey which is sufciently' large `for vit to fall through. Thefjgradatiron ofl these spaces may be regulated bytheadjust-g ment ofthe plates 8, so that theosets from` one .to another-mayr be of any. desired size. 1 In order` tol regulatey theudeliveryof the? fruitfrom the chute A and to` distribute-it evenly upon each side of the apex of th'ejbot-jl tom3, I have vshown a4 directing-board 13,

which is mounted in the discharge end ofthe l `chute and bent as shown,l so thattheoranges or-other fruit will be divided byfit and delivered into the channel upon each side of the bottoni 3, and `its construction and ,arrangement they will be vdelivered singly, so

so as to prevent their crowding or piling upon each other. j

Having thusdescrlbed my lnvention, what I claim asnew, and desire to lsecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The combination, in a fruit-grader,-of a ring ordisk forming a bottom and having beveled# or slopingedges, means for rotating theA` disk, vertical guides surrounding and extend-` ing above said edges, and means whereby the lower edges Vof the guides are vertically adjusted toward and from the edges of the disk `to regulate the sizeof thefruit-discharge.

2. A `fruit-grading apparatus consisting of a revol'uble ring or disk having beveled or in.-l

clined edgesupon which the fruit rests, vertical surroundingcontact-surfaces for the fruit consisting of `slotted adjustable plates. above saidring or disk, and means for securing said plates whereby the spaces between thering or disk and the lower edges of the plates may be' regulated. Y

3. A fruit-grader consisting of a horizon*- tally-revolu'ble disk or ring having a beveled or inclined edge or, surface upon whichy theY fruit rests while being advancedQaud guides surrounding and extending above 'said bev eled surface, said'guides having the lower edgesprovided ywith va-'series of loosely-turnable disks or rollers forming contact-surfaces againstwhichthe fruit rests. I Y r 4e A.fruit-grader,'consisting of a'disk or ring having a beveled edge or edges, forming a'surface or support for the fruit, and vertical gui'desagainst which the fruit bears, said guides o consisting of vertically-adjustable plates concentricfwith-the disk orring, having a series of jou'rnaled disks revoluble in radial planes around their lower edges.-

5. A fruit-grader consisting 'of a horizontally-revoluble'disk or ringhaving a beveled upper edge or edges upon which the fruit 'rests, curved slotted plates concentric with y.the periphery'of the disk or ring having ra- -dially-revoluble rollers journaled upon their lower edgesforming"contact-surfaces for the fruit;andmeans `engaging the slots in the `plates' by whichsaid plates are :vertically adjusted with relation tothe horizontal disk or ring 'seas-'to form a series of spaces, increasing in width from the point wherethe fruit is received around the circle whereby dierent sizes offfruit are allowed to escape through "said spaces during theiradvance.

' 6.f The combination in a fruit-grading apparatus of a horizontally-revoluble disk or ybottom 4having a beveled or inclinedy edge forming a surface upon which the fruit rests, fa series ofv vertically-adjustable concentrically-disposed guides having rollers journaled and turnable upon their lower edges, against which rollers the fruit also rests while advancing, said guides forming, in conjunction with the re'voluble disk or ring, a series of gradually-increasing spaces through which the different sizes of'fruit escape as they arrive.

Y 7. The combination in a fruit-grading apparatus of a horizontally-revoluble disk or ring having a beveled edge or edges forming asupporting-surface for the fruit, adjacent concentrically-curved Vplates having revolulble rollers journ aled around their lower edges, between which rollers and the `disk the fruit also rests, means by, whichA said plates are vertically adj usted to present spaces of gradu'ally-increasin g diameter between the rollers and the supporting edges of the disk orring, and chu-tes or receptacles into which each grade of fruit thus escaping is received.

IOO

IIO

Y 8'. The combination in a fruit-grading ap- Y by which the fruit is separated and Idelivered 1o singly upon the beveled surface or surfaces. In Witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

RICHARD G. BAILEY.

Witnesses:

S. H. NoURsE, CHAs. E. ToWNsEND. 

